One of my co-workers gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last week. A pretty pink card was passed around the office so that we could all write words of congratulations to her and her husband on becoming parents. Most of my colleagues signed the card with cute sayings like – “Welcome to the world” and “Can’t wait to meet the little bundle of joy.” I, on the other hand, really wanted to pass along my words of wisdom. (I didn’t – but I wanted to). I’ll never forget what a good friend of mine wrote to me right before I was about to give birth to my daughter: “First the pain, then the pleasure, then the patience.” At the time, I had no idea what she was talking about – but almost 17 years into this parenting gig and I get it. In case I need to spell it out for anyone – The pain is childbirth. The pleasure is all the cuddles and cuteness that babies and toddlers bring. The patience, well that would be the teenage years. In truth, I love this stage of their lives when they really start to grow up and realize the entire world doesn’t revolve around them and they have gifts they can contribute to make the it a better place. But, let’s face it. We need a lot of patience when it comes to raising teenagers. And full disclaimer – patience has never been one of my strengths but I am working hard to keep mine in check. If there was a “What to Expect” book for raising teenagers, I think this is what the table of contents would look like. Chapter 1 – Patience – Get Some. You are Going to Need It. Chapter 2 – The Front Seat – Birds, Bees, Smoking, Drinking, Drugs, Politics – and other conversations you will have with your child when you are driving them somewhere. Chapter 3 – The Passenger Seat – Where you sit, pray and hold on tight while they learn how to drive. Chapter 4 – Clean Your Room – Is this worth the battle? Chapter 5 – Homework – Why it’s worth the battle. Chapter 6 – Grounded! – Discipline beyond timeouts Chapter 7 –
